Wednesday, November 29, 2006 The power to build By Arch’t. Karl A.E.F. Cabilao, UAP
FEVERISH prep-ups for the much-anticipated Asean summit are ongoing. The metro is busy putting on a makeover; however, some zits are just hard to conceal, like the shanties of informal settlers (commonly known as squatters). It definitely takes more than just painting their roofs green to remedy such a dilemma.
Part of the government’s duty is to provide resettlement and basic shelter for this less-fortunate chunk. With that, the National Housing Authority (NHA), together with the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) held its annual NHA House Design Competition for Resettlement Sites. This one, though, was catered for proposed resettlement areas for Muntinlupa City’s homes-along-the-riles (railways). Adaptability, creativity and affordability of housing design were the main aims of the competition, tapping the architecture profession’s “Power to Build” (also, this year’s competition theme). And coming up with an ideal blend balancing all three aspects is no easy task. It’s just like that reality show where a group of amateurs come up with a wedding celebration on a $5,000 budget.
For this search, about 30 groups of architecture students belonging to the 3rd, 4th and 5th year levels from all over the country gave their shot at designing a model housing unit for a 32 square meter lot with a maximum budget of PHP 45,000 for materials. A mean feat, indeed, that would test their aptitudes before they step into the real world as licensed professionals.
However, the students oozed with flair as future designer-slash-builders with their praiseworthy designs. The top seven groups were recognized in an event held in Manila. Among the cream of the crop were two Cebuano teams that were creative assemblies of architecture students from the University of San Carlos (USC). The first team was composed USC’s Building and Ground Maintenance Team members Louien Pepito, Dave Chua, Ed Chua, Earl Tugal and Venzon Ulila, while juniors Cyrus Lim, Lloyd Macarinas, Cristeo Deligero and Jonathan Dave Chua comprises the other.
It is inspiring to gaze at what these future architects have produced—designs that were sensitive to the client, its users and the environment. Even with a small budget, a good house design can still be realized and be enjoyed by those who have less. Outputs like these justify the ideal placement of architects (duly registered, that is) as prime professionals in the building industry. Truly, they are a breath of fresh air that allows the architecture profession to be optimistic of its future in shaping a better place for all of us.
